Our Wedding Day

1982
Twenty six years ago this young woman cried out to God.
She said..."All I want is a home of my own, and a man who Loves you. Please God, I do not want a religious man, but a man who loves you."
A young man cried out with a broken heart.. He said..." Dear God...Please bring me a wife"

This young woman had braved with great courage the escape from an abusive relationship. She had fled to a church for refuge. Sheltered by a Deacon and his family she was homeless. With only a back pack and the roof over her head.

The young man had recently lost the love of a five year relationship. A future that had shattered his tender heart.

That great day....
Across the crowded Bible Study class I sat . Frightened and clinging to Christ my solace and salvation. I was a young believer who had joined the choir. Rail and gentle. Forgiving of life I joined and belonging to those who attended this mega baptist church. It was a neighbor who had helped me escape. She had brought me to this place. A place that I had watched often on the television. A body of Christians who offered me a chance at life.
The young man who had approached me spent several weeks trying to meet up with me. He had found my name on an announcement.
We had met at last for he was still amazed at how he had fallen of of his chair during that bible study. It was then he knew I was her. He pursued me. A dove broken, guarded by many.

This young man saw her and marveled at the innocence and wondered if she were for real. He had never met anyone like her. When I had stooped down to smell the flowers on the walk on our first date...well he was stunned. He had determined after that first meeting he would sell his motorcycle to take her to the dentist. He did so and more. He set me up in a little apartment along side a private home. It was a little place of safety. It was the only time I had ever lived alone. Perhaps all of 300 square feet of a place to rest. We spent so many hours talking and then one day we almost became intimate. Instead we opened the scripture and decided to wed directly and to save that for our wedding day. He respected me.

"We are now to be together at the calling of our hearts.
Rest assured this troubadour is acting out his part.
Is it love that brings us here or is it love that brings us life?
so then whats to be the reason for becoming man and wife.
Do you believing in miracle's.
Oh there is love
There is love..... " (Paul stooky)

He played out his heart for me, my man that he would call me wife. He has forever change for me the meaning of my life.


We interred into our wedding day Worshipfully.

My wedding gift from him was an act of great courage for he played for me at the wedding.

Beloveds brother helped us by loaning us a suit.

My Mother in Love made my wedding gown. We wed just 30 days after we met.
We set the date for two weeks once we had Beloveds parents blessings.
They said "son if you love her than we accept her".

We held the ceremony in their back yard. I flew my mother who I had not seen in a few years, and my father (I later learned he was not really my birth father). I had only met him twice in my life at that point. I did not choose to have my step dad attend.

My Mother helped me with my veil.
It was the first time alone with her for many many years

She gave me the necklace from my youth as something old.

This was taken in Beloveds folks living room just before I was walked down the isle.

I felt like I was free floating.
I made Doves dedication gown from the left over fabric. I also used some of the left over fabric for the trim on our first quilt for our marriage bed.

The fellow in the beard was the man who ,He and his wife had taken me in.
He gave a lengthly sermon about the vows.

We exchange simple gold bands.
The whole of the wedding was no more than $500. for flowers, rings and the cake. The punch and snacks were a gift from the cousins.

The birds were singing so loud that I sorta got distracted and the question was posed twice because I was just so happy I was a bit above it all.
My face hurt from smiling it was so big a grin that I strained my cheeks.
The birds were eating the piracanthra berries from the bush behind us. Their song was amazing.

The woman in yellow was my Maid of Honor, She lived next door to the house that I had left.
It was she who helped me get away from an abusive 6 month relationship.
She helped me to get to the church to escape and begin new.
My wedding colors were set from her dress. I received what was offered.

My "dad" name sake (Don) was there. He and my mother had not seen each other since I was an infant just after they divorced. This was a very courages thing to do and so very generous. For he threw my mom down a flight of stairs kicking her in the tummy the day I was born. I forgave him in act.

We signed our licence, as did our witnesses, on the folks table.

The beautiful woman in pink is Beloved's Mother. She made my dress within the two weeks notice by cutting out a pattern from a porcelain figurine of a senorita I had had from childhood.

This is Beloved's Paternal Grandmother Doves namesake. She was the first woman who ever showed me kindness and a gentle touch. She is my favorite person of old times. The man is her son Beloveds Uncle. Dash is named after her husband.

Our last name means , Dove of peace.
The doves on the cake are still in my possession. Old and yellowed they are a treasure of how God brought me under the wing of my dear husband.

This was the very favorite thing of my wedding day.
He sang "We are no to be together"...by Don Francisco
It was somewhat private for he was painfully shy to share his music with others.
I so miss his guitar playing.

He was so brave.
On our first date beside a creek he played "He's alive" by Don Francisco

We were gentle and respectful of each other.
We did not smear or cram the cake. Tenderness was just who we were.

These dear ladies are some of Beloveds cousins who served us that day. The girls all just set it up. Many of these women wished that Beloved was not a cousin. He is very well beloved by them for good reason.
He is a kind man.

So many of these have now passed on.
Only my Mother and Dad were there. Non of my other family.

I still use this cook book some 26 years later. I felt like a princess with so many gifts. When only a month before I was homeless. All of my possessions were in a garage somewhere. Pilfered through by others. Everything has so many times over been given back to me.

These two girl were new friends of only a month or two.

GLEE

I always hated what they wrote on the car. It cheapened my day. When I married my Beloved I was his virgin.

I am my beloveds and he is mine.

His banner over me is Love.

We left and went to his home that was now...Our home.
Beloved moved out of his parents home at 18 years of age. He fixed cars and saved up enough money to buy a small house. He owned it for four years before we met. It was all of 900 square feet of heaven on earth.
My own home and a man who loved God..

The next day we took my parents to the air port.
It was the first time in my life that I had them side by side of me. It was the last.
They are both dead now, but I did my best to show them the respect of my wedding day.

2004

I had my Indian wedding and all the dreams that were not met so many years before were met then. I am still my Beloved's and He is Mine. We have Gods banner over us.
LOVE